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Ye Gay Old Valley

By: Dani Langevin, Lesbian Columnist – July, 2010

Last March, in Boulder, Colorado, two grade school girls were kicked out of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish because their parents are lesbians. The same thing happened in May at St. Paul Elementary School in Hingham, MA. This time it was an 8-year-old boy with lesbian mothers who was denied entrance. In both instances the residing pastors of the school stated that the children’s parents do not adhere to Catholic Church teachings.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston and the superintendent of Catholics schools, Mary Grassa O’Neil, both agreed that children should not be denied a Catholic school education because of gay parents. They went on to say that there is, “. . . no policy barring children of gay parents from attending Catholic schools.” Parents simply need to be aware of and accept that Catholic Church teachings are a major part of their school’s curriculum. O’Malley even went so far as to send a letter to all Catholic Schools stating that no scholarship money will be awarded to any school that discriminates.

The reaction by the Archdiocese in Denver was quite the opposite. Archbishop Charles Chaput supported the decision of the pastor at Sacred Heart of Jesus parish. Chaput is quoted as saying that their admission policy states, “No person shall be admitted as a student . . . unless that person and his/her parent(s) subscribe to . . . and abide by the educational policies and regulations of the school and Archdiocese. If parents do not respect the beliefs of the church, or live in a manner that openly rejects those beliefs . . . their actions disqualify their children from enrollment.”

Both sets of lesbian parents say that they are Christian and find the curriculum of Catholic schools valuable and desirable. The parents in Colorado are active in their church, attend mass regularly, and one of them has even been awarded for her work in the church. They are disheartened by the school’s decision.

Naturally, public opinion is split on whether or not Catholic schools have the right to deny entrance or expel students whose parents are gay. I say they do. As a private institution they have that very right. They are not public schools that, by law, must accept any child who lives in their district. Private schools have luxuries that public schools do not. They have the right to pick and choose their student body. They can kick out students for major or minor infractions. Give a nun the finger, break dress code, or announce you’re gay- you’re out. No such thing in the public sector. Students in public schools can do anything from telling a teacher to go perform a physically impossible sexual act on themself to threaten them with bodily harm and the school has little recourse. Try to pass down any type of discipline and you’ll get an angry phone call from an irate parent or guardian faster than you can say ‘suspended’. The student’s legal care taker will be up one side of the school’s administrator and down the other in seconds placing blame on everyone except their child into provoking the emotionally fragile little darling into such an action. The student is now free to go. That would never happen in a Catholic school.

Catholic schools are elite and literally have the God given right to bless or rid their selves of anyone they see fit or unfit for that matter. By all means, Saint Education, ban all children being raised by dykes, faggots, transwhatever, and the few who can’t make up their minds whether they like men, women, or better yet, both. Besides, if you do fall into either of those categories why, on God’s great earth, would you want your children to go to such a hypocritical, judgmental, unchristian like institution? And I am certainly not addressing every Christian school nation wide. I am referring to those who are willing not to value God’s children as individuals. If they are willing to deny your children a Christian education, then they clearly do not have your child’s best interest at hand. If the pastor’s decision is overturned, you need to consider if they truly have the mantra ‘what would Jesus do?’ in their heart or do they simply want your money?

I know many people who have received Catholic educations. Some of them were students of single parents, divorced parents and even Muslim parents, all of which go against Catholic teachings. I watch many of my public school students move onto Catholic high schools and I have no doubt that their educational experience is equal to, less than or better than that of my own children’s public schooling. I just don’t understand why any self-respecting member of the gay community would subject their children to a mind-set that condemns their life style, minimizes their relationship and refuses to recognize their marriage to the point of calling it an aberration. Please do not tell me it’s God’s will. If that’s what you believe, then your god is too small and not nearly as loving of her creatures as mine.